A Billericay man who twice tried to take his own life following a work accident has won almost £160,000 in compensation.

Father-of-two Alan Cox had endured a miserable time since the May 1995 accident left him suffering from severe back pain.

He felt "his life had been ruined", Judge Frank Chapman told London's High Court.

Although there was no known medical explanation for his continuing disabling back pain, the judge said he was in no doubt about the validity of his symptoms.

Mr Cox, 32, formerly of Montpelier Close, Queen's Park, was awarded £158,678 total damages against his employers - Allison Engineering Ltd of Cranes Farm Road, Basildon.

The judge ruled the company was 100 per cent to blame for the accident in which a "flimsy and unstable" test rig used for measuring air flow suddenly collapsed.

While trying to escape the falling object, Mr Cox wrenched his back and fell over, banging his head.

Judge Chapman said Mr Cox had suffered a very painful back injury of a kind from which one would normally expect to recover within about six months.

But Mr Cox had since been diagnosed with fibromyalgia - also called abnormal illness behaviour - for which there was no known pathological explanation.

He had undergone a wide range of treatments - including spinal injections, hydrotherapy and physiotherapy - but nothing had helped to overcome his chronic pain.

Before the accident Mr Cox had been a hard-working and ambitious young man, but he was also by nature psychologically vulnerable and unable to cope with the ordinary bumps and bruises of life very well, the judge said.

Psychological factors, including his "sense of grievance" against Allison Engineering, had contributed to his symptoms.

The judge remarked: "All in all he felt his life had been ruined."

He added that since the accident, Mr Cox had occasionally slipped into clinical depression and had made two attempts to take his own life.

"I do not think we should understate the burden he has carried. He's had a miserable five years."

He said he hoped the end of the court case would lift Mr Cox's sense of pessimism and lead to an improvement in his condition.

The judge told the court: "Mr Cox has not been fit for work so far, but soon will be."

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